


One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

by Ashtiel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Cuddles, Fluff, Implied Destiel - Freeform, M/M, Sabriel is the main pairing, all-too-syrupy pancakes, bed sharing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-21
Updated: 2014-07-21
Packaged: 2018-02-09 21:23:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1998309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashtiel/pseuds/Ashtiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam and Gabriel are good at dancing around each other. Dean and Castiel are good at making them second-guess themselves. Nights are good at bringing out secrets.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tinq](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinq/gifts).



> Thanks to [Tinq](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinq/works) for the prompt! This wouldn't exist without you and your support!

At first, everything was incredibly awkward between them. Gabriel would appear with Sam's favorite food or Sam would make sure there was room for Gabriel in the backseat of the Impala, then Dean would look at them, laugh, and Gabriel would disappear for days. Or Sam would bury himself in research. A week or so later, they would start the process all over again, only to repeat the same ending.

Gradually, Dean's looks became easier to ignore. Gabriel would show up with rare books for Sam or Sam would give Gabriel some candy smuggled out of Dean's private stash. And even if Dean snickered at them, it didn't mean anything. Sam just muttered, "Immature" under his breath. Gabriel used the age-old tactic of pretending that Dean didn't exist. Gabriel started to stopping by more often until he was there almost as much as Castiel.

The gifts turned into touches. Sam would take a book from Gabriel and their hands would bump, or Gabriel, while picking his way around the Winchester's tiny motel rooms, would brush up against Sam's back. Castiel started tilting his head and squinting whenever they were near each other.

With Castiel and Dean both giving them weird looks, they backtracked. The little gifts and touches slowed to a halt and Gabriel stayed away on his projects longer. Sam found that he missed the archangel. One night Dean told him to "stop it with the kicked puppy thing" when Gabriel didn't show up. Sam punched his shoulder. Hard.

Eventually, Sam and Gabriel built up an immunity to Dean and Castiel. Gabriel came around almost every day and talked to Sam for hours about the things he'd seen before humans had even existed, cultures that Sam had only read about in passing reference, and even about people that existed now. Sam hung on his every word. Dean made gagging noises. They ignored him. Talking made the long, boring car rides less long and boring. Sam gave his seat in the front to Castiel.

The gifts and touches started up again. Gabriel would offer to remove the tension from Sam's shoulders with a wave of his hand. Sam would find stories of Gabriel the Archangel and print them so Gabriel could laugh at how holy people made him out to be. They were happier together than they were apart. Dean and Castiel started to avoid them to "give them space".

Although Dean was usually no more than irritating, one Tuesday, he was unbearable. Sam and Dean were sitting in a sticky, poorly lit dinner surrounded by cigarette smoke and rednecks. Dean wouldn't stop grinning. "What?" Sam demanded after Dean almost choked on a fry because of a laugh he tried to keep quiet.

"Nothing," Dean insisted.

"What?" Sam asked. He speared a cherry tomato with more force than was necessary. Seeds and juice oozed out of the top.

"It's just, I don't think you know how stupid you're being," Dean said.

Sam turned his fork, squashing the tomato. "How am I being stupid?"

Dean shook his head at his half-eaten burger with his trademarked, whatever shall we do with him?, face.

It pissed Sam off. He'd gotten that look enough when he was ten and everyone called him Sammy. "How am I being stupid?" he insisted. The tomato on his plate was almost ketchup.

Dean raised his voice until it sounded more like a chipmunk than a human. "Sam! Are you alright? I wouldn't want you to get a scratch! Sam, look! I found a rare book that's thousands of years old. Do you want it? Sam! You're so tense! Let me help you!" He batted his eyelashes at Sam.

"He doesn't sound like that."

"He does to me."

"He's an archangel, you asshole."

"So what? We've buried two archangels already, and Cas took care of the third one. I ain't scared of a dude who's shorter, and fatter, than me."

"He's not fat."

"I can tell he eats a lot of candy."

Sam was about to hit Dean when someone beat him to it.

"Ow! Fuck! Cas, you Judas," Dean said, holding the side of his head. But he couldn't stop a small smile from sneaking through.

"It is rude and unnecessary to make fun of my brother and Sam's-"

"Cuddle buddy," Dean said.

"He's not my-"

Dean waved Sam's comment away like it was an annoying fly. "Because you're both too stupid to-"

"Okay, I think that's enough," Gabriel said. He stood at the head of the greasy table. The whole diner seemed to get a little brighter. "Sammich, let's go."

Gabriel snapped and Sam went from sitting in the cracked-vinyl booth to a plush chair that was determined to swallow him whole. He looked around, but he didn't recognize the room. It wasn't fancy, but it was huge. Knick-knacks and pieces of junk littered every available surface and the floor was on it’s way to being buried beneath cushions and couches.

"Where are we?" Sam asked as he tried to free himself from the chair's clutches.

"Home sweet home," Gabriel said. "Thought it might be a good idea to get you away from Dean and Cassie before you got all crabby."

"I don't get crabby."

Gabriel laughed. "Bitch please."

Sam glared at him, but he couldn't hold the face for long. He cracked a smile and Gabriel just laughed.

They ended up on Gabriel's (equally cluttered) porch with glasses of much-too-sweet iced tea. The sun was just starting to dip behind the horizon, but Gabriel was only watching the reflection of it in Sam's eyes. Sam looked back. For once, he didn't feel awkward.

When the stars started coming out, Sam sighed. "I have to go. Dean and I are supposed to clean out a witch-run magical drug operation tomorrow."

"Tomorrow's, like, twelve hours away."

"I need to sleep."

"You can sleep here. I have a bed."

"I don't want steal your bed."

"Pffft. Like I need it. Can't even remember the last time I stayed in this house overnight."

Sam looked out at the stars. It wouldn't hurt to stay with Gabriel for one night. He would get a night away from his smirking brother. And his bed had looked incredibly soft... "Fine. But you have to get me back in time tomorrow."

Gabriel held up three fingers. "Scout's honor."

* * *

Gabriel's bed was even softer than he'd imagined. Sam settled down, under the covers, in the silky pajama bottoms that Gabriel had conjured up for him. Gabriel snapped the lights away when Sam was comfortable. "Goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

Sam rolled his eyes. "What're you doing tonight?"

"Oh, I don't know. I heard about this one guy in Nebraska-"

"You should stay."

There was an awkward pause.

"Come again?"

Sam took a deep breath. "You.. Should stay."

"Thought you'd never ask," Gabriel said. He plopped down on the end of the bed and started peeling his socks off.

"Really?"

"My gods, how long has it been now? A year and a half? Two years? Always wanted to see if you were as cuddly as you looked."

Sam laughed. Gabriel had taken one of the most potentially awkward moments of his life and made it easy. Just like he always did.

Gabriel climbed under the covers, stealing one of Sam's pillows and slipping it under his own head. Something like ice touched Sam's leg and he jumped. Gabriel laughed and did it again.

"Jesus," Sam gasped. "Is that your feet?"

"Maybe," Gabriel said. He tucked his feet under Sam's legs and curled his toes.

Gabriel was a blanket hog and Sam kicked him, more than once, in the middle of a dream, but it was the best night that either of them had had in years.

Gabriel greeted Sam the next morning with pancakes -stolen from the diner in the next city- and black coffee.

"We are so doing that again," Gabriel said. He popped a forkful of syrup-drenched pancakes into his mouth.

"Then you have to wear socks."

"I do what I want," Gabriel said.

To prove his point, Gabriel leaned in and pressed a quick syrup-sweet kiss to Sam's lips. Sam chuckled and licked the sugar away. They were definitely going to do this again, Dean and Castiel be damned.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thanks for reading. As always, if you have any constructive criticism, or if you spot any errors, feel free to leave a comment. Have a lovely day!


End file.
